Petunia plant named ‘Whip Rose’

ABSTRACT

A petunia cultivar particularly distinguished by rose colored flowers, compact habit and good basal branching.

Genus and species: Petunia hybrida.

Variety denomination: ‘Whip Rose’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of petunia,botanically known as Petunia hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by thecultivar name ‘Whip Rose’. The new cultivar is asexually reproduced fromvegetative cuttings and tissue culture resulting from the cross of theseed/pod parent 99-189-1, a red proprietary line that is unnamed andunpatented ×99-1-4, a purple proprietary line that is unnamed andunpatented.

‘Whip Rose’ is a product of a planned breeding program intended tocreate new petunia plants with a rose colored flowers, compact habit,good basal branching and moderately vigorous growth.

The new cultivar was created in 2000 in Gilroy, Calif. and has beenasexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings and tissueculture in Gilroy, Calif., Andijk, The Netherlands, and Guatemala over atwo and half year period. The plant has also been trialed at Gilroy,Calif., Litchfield, Mich. and Andijk, The Netherlands. The presentinvention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristicsthrough successive asexual propagations; and this novelty is firmlyfixed.

DESCRIPTION OF PHOTOGRAPH

This new petunia plant is illustrated by the accompanying photographwhich shows blooms, buds, and foliage of the plant in full color, thecolors shown being as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventionalphotographic procedures.

The photograph shows the mature flowers

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctivecharacteristics of ‘Whip Rose’. The data, which defines thesecharacteristics, were collected from asexual reproductions carried outin Gilroy, Calif. The plant history was taken on 10 months old plantsgrown in one-gallon pots in fall/winter season, in a poly-coveredgreenhouse under 2-4 hours supplemental light and color readings weretaken in the greenhouse in the winter season under natural light. Plantshad been cut back numerous times prior to data readings being taken.Color references are primarily to The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The RoyalHorticultural Society of London (R.H.S.). Texture description detailswere observed under a dissecting microscope according to The New RoyalHorticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening (1992).

THE PLANT

Classification:

Botanical.—Petunia hybrida.

Commercial.—Petunia.

Form: Semi upright and decumbent.

Growth and branching habit: Good vigorous habit, well-branched, fullplant.

Height: From soil level to top of blooms: Approximately 10-15 cm.

Width: Approximately 50-60 cm including flowers.

Time to produce a finished flowering plant: 9-11 weeks.

Outdoor plant performance: Full sun, free- flowering through the summer,some heat tolerance. Use in hanging baskets, mixed containers, and massplantings.

Time to initiate roots: Approximately 18-24 days in the greenhouse.

Root description: Fibrous, white.

THE LEAVES

Arrangement: Alternate, upper leaves sub-opposite.

Length: 4.0-4.3 cm.

Width: 2.7-2.9 cm.

Leaf blade shape: Ovate.

Leaf margin: Entire.

Apex aspect: Acute/Rounded.

Base aspect: Acuminate.

Leaf color: Upper side: RHS 137A (green) but a little darker. Underside:RHS 137C (green).

Texture: Sparse glandular hairs.

Venation: Palmate.

Venation color: RHS 144A (yellow-green).

Petiole length: 0.3-0.5 cm.

Petiole width: 0.25-0.3 cm.

Petiole color: RHS 144A (yellow-green).

Petiole texture: Sparse glandular hairs.

THE STEM

Length: 40-50 cm.

Diameter: 0.3 cm.

Internode length: 0.5-2.5 cm.

Color: RHS 143C (green) and RHS 144A (yellow-green).

Texture: Sparse glandular hairs.

Stem anthocyanin: No.

Peduncle color: RHS 143C (green).

Peduncle length: 2.0-3.7 cm.

Peduncle diameter: 0.1 cm.

Peduncle texture: Many glandular hairs of various sizes.

THE BUD

Shape: Oblong.

Diameter: 0.3-0.5 cm.

Length: 2.0-3.5 cm.

Color at tight bud: RHS 182B (greyed-red).

THE FLOWER

Blooming habit: Continuous all through the growing season. Goodfloriferousness.

Inflorescence type: Flowers solitary in upper leaf axis.

Young flower color: RHS 67A (red-purple) base color; RHS 187A(greyed-purple) mid-veins; RHS 60A (red-purple) heavy secondary veining,with heavy amount of red tones bleeding into the petals.

Young flower floret diameter: 3.3-3.6 cm.

Mature flower color: Front side, RHS 67A (red-purple) base color; RHS187A (greyed-purple) mid-veins; lighter intensity but heavy in quantityRHS 60A (red-purple) secondary veins, with some red tones bleeding intothe petals.

Mature flower color: Underside, lighter hue of RHS 75A (purple)extending out to the margins on both sides of the mid-veins, and betweenRHS 68A/B (red-purple) mostly of a wide band at the margin between themid-veins; Heavy front side veining showing through.

Corolla tube color inside: RHS 159A (orange-white) base color; RHS 187A(greyed-purple) mid-veins; RHS 183A (greyed-purple) heavy secondaryveining.

Corolla tube length: 2.2-2.5 cm.

Corolla outside texture: Many glandular hairs.

Floret form and number of petals: Funnel form, 5 lobed petals fused atbase; calyx, 5 deeply lobed.

Flower (limb) diameter: 3.9-4.2 cm.

Petal apex shape: Acute.

Petal base shape: Fused.

Petal margin: Entire.

Petal lobation: Moderate.

Petal waviness: Moderate.

Petal texture: Papillose.

Sepal color: RHS 137A (green).

Sepal length: 1.0-1.2 cm.

Sepal width: 0.2-0.3 cm.

Sepal shape: Oblong.

Sepal apex: Obtuse.

Sepal texture: Many glandular hairs of various sizes.

Lastingness of individual blooms: 4-8 days.

Fragrance: Slightly sweet.

THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

Stamens: Five, 2 taller and 3 shorter.

Filament color: RHS 145D (yellow-green).

Pollen color: RHS 11C (yellow).

Pistil: One.

Stigma: RHS 145 C (yellow-green) at the edges and RHS 144A(yellow-green) in the center.

Style color: RHS 145C (yellow-green).

Fruit seed set: Not observed.

DISEASE AND INSECT RESISTANCE

Not observed.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTAL CULTIVARS

Compares to its female parent 99-189-1 in the following ways: The femaleparent is an upright growing, late flowering, and red flower plant withmedium size flowers. ‘Whip Rose’ is an earlier flowering moderatelyvigorous plant with rose-colored flowers.

Compares to its male parent 99-1-4 in the following ways: The maleparent is a late flowering, trailing plant with purple flowers. ‘WhipRose’ is an earlier flowering, more free flowering plant with roseflowers that does not trail as much as the male parent.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct petunia plant as shown and describedherein.